'Lawrence of Arabia' fame legendary Pakistani artist and orator, Zia Mohyeddin, passes away

Zia Mohyeddin the first Pakistani ever to work in Hollywood passed away on Monday after a brief illness He was 91The veteran actor director and TV host was admitted to a hospital in Karachi where he was based after complaining of abdominal pain and fever He was later shifted on life support after some surgical procedureHe breathed his last at 630am according to his family The funeral prayer would be offered in the Defence area of KarachiMohyeddin was born in 1931 in Faisalabad in Pakistans Punjab province and made his name in acting broadcasting and poetry recitationHe was also president emeritus of National Institute of Performing Arts in Karachi and trained a host of budding artists He also wrote columns for various newspapersAlso readWhy BJP is wary of a Congresslike situationMoheyddin appeared on both Pakistani cinema and television apart from appearances on the British cinema and television throughout his careerHis memorable performances include Lawrence of Arabia 1962 by director David Lean followed by Behold the Pale Horsein 1964 by director Fred Zinnemann and Immaculate Conception 1992 by director Jamil DehlaviThe veteran actor was awarded HilaleImtiaz the secondhighest civilian honour in Pakistan in 2012 for his contribution to the field of artHe also authored three books A Carrot is a Carrot Theatrics and The God of My Idolatry Memories and ReflectionsPrime minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his sorrow and grief at the demise of the legendary performerIn a statement issued by the Prime Ministers Office the premier said that Mohyeddins art was one of its kind and his unique style was admired not just in Pakistan but across the world the Dawn newspaper reportedIt is sad that a person with many beautiful qualities has left society Zia Mohyeddins voice will keep resonating in our hearts and minds he saidExpressing grief over the veteran actors demise President Arif Alvi in a tweet said To me it is a personal loss He was a giant in the arts an actor producer director and above all an excellent reciter of prose and poetry accompanied by music typically prompting with a pauseOne day a worried Zia came to me in the 90s and told me that he is under stress when asked why He said I know Shakespeare from cover to cover but now I tend to forget A giant indeed May Allah give strength to the world of arts Azra his wife family and children to bear this loss Alvi said in the following tweetFormer prime minister Imran Khan also extended condolences to the grieving familySaddened to learn of the passing of Zia Mohyeddin I knew him for decades He was a highly cultured person extremely well read esp in Urdu literature and an institution in the world of entertainment He will be missed My condolences and prayers go to his family Khan said in a tweetThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever